At St. Andrews Dusit British International School in Bangkok, we take great pride in promoting a holistic approach in education. We designed our curriculum to effectively shape the young minds put in our care in order to better prepare them for future success.

In line with this, we ensure that we constantly provide ample support for the overall well-being of our young learners. We strongly believe that mental health is a vital component of our all-encompassing educational approach.

As the term suggests, our kids’ holistic development covers every aspect of their growth, whether it’s developing their intellectual, mental, physical, social, extracurricular, or co-curricular skills.

What’s the point of combining different disciplines of education if the children themselves could not address their mental health issues?

Even though our school caters to children from ages 2 to 11 years old, mental health awareness is something we believe they should become aware of even at a young age.

How Schools Can Spread Mental Health Awareness

In order to prove the mettle of the holistic learning system by St. Andrews Dusit, we also value building mental health awareness to truly serve our kids in a holistic fashion.

In fact, the youth mental health crisis is only seemingly getting worse as time passes by. Part of the reason for this is the fact that they’re only getting addressed now in modern times compared to 30 or even 60 years ago.

It’s for this reason that we, the administrators and teachers of St. Andrews Dusit, are working together to build better mental health awareness on our campus.

Although it’s a daunting task that’s easier said than done, we also believe it’s a worthwhile one.

“It’s important for youths to address their mental health issues like anxiety, stress, and depression early on in school without the stigma of shame by teachers and counsellors they could trust.” (Teacher Quote)

The World Health Organisation reveals that globally, 1 out of 7 youths aged 10 to 19 face some sort of mental health issue. Nevertheless, only half of the children and teens have access to mental health treatment services.

The Role of Schools in Teaching Mental Health Awareness

Here’s where schools like our international school in Dusit come into play. There are studies linking early intervention to the effective treatment of youth mental health conditions.

Like with any other medical issue, mental health conditions can become worse over time if not treated during its earliest stages. Practising better mental health awareness on campus can assist in making great strides towards identifying mental health warning signs in children.

Aside from providing academic programmes like STEM, IB, and Sixth Form Education, we also incorporate mental health awareness into the children’s holistic educational system.

We even believe in the importance of waving off the preconceived notion that only teenagers or adults suffer from a mental health crisis or issue like stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and so forth.

Even very young children are susceptible to trauma, so their issues should be addressed to allow them to develop and mature without handling so much emotional baggage.

What Does St. Andrews Dusit Specifically Do to Spread Mental Health Awareness Among Their Kids?

We don’t only offer a demanding, stimulating, and well-rounded education to a holistically educated St. Andrews child. We also believe in promoting their mental and socio-emotional well-health. That’s how leaders are made.

Regardless, we teachers and administrators can help out by providing the children with the proper resources and support systems to address the state of their mental health.

Even now, mental health education in schools at large remains meagre and, at times, insufficient. We help curb this trend by offering the following services:

• Involve caregivers.
• Set an open-door policy.
• Offer counselling referrals.
• Promote positivity and self-esteem.
• Encourage body neutrality and balanced eating
• Provide safe spaces to manage strong emotions.
• Provide teachers with professional mental health awareness training.

At the very least, we here at St. Andrews Dust can teach children to sound the alarms of mental health the same way we would with their physical health.

We also teach our kids how to identify the warning signs of mental health issues, leading to their referral to the right mental healthcare treatment centres and professionals before their problems become much worse.

How St. Andrews Dusit Provides Teachers with Professional Training for Mental Health Awareness

To make sure teachers offer the best support for the mental health of St. Andrews Dusit children, it’s imperative that they guide them towards appropriate resources for mental health treatment while also giving them initial support and reassurance.

The last thing we want to do is make the children feel broken or be found wanting somehow over issues and circumstances that might not even be their fault.

We will all be trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of various mental health disorders to help these kids to the best of our abilities in case they do suffer from stress or anxiety.

It’s actually crucial for us to serve as early support systems for children when it comes to mental health because they have not matured enough to properly cope with trauma or process their emotions at such young ages.

The workshops and training sessions on socio-emotional learning should help the teachers and their kids explore how to incorporate mental health education into St. Andrews’ holistic curriculum.

Promote the Self-Esteem and Confidence of St. Andrews Dusit Children

According to research, promoting positive self-esteem can assist in protecting children and teenagers from developing conditions related to mental illness like depression or emotional desensitisation.

Self-confidence in oneself can go a long way to encourage these kids to ask for help when needed and to build resistance against traumatic experiences.

A healthy self-image should also help them prevent bullying and reduce stigma when all is said and done. We at St. Andrews Dusit teach our kids to resolve interpersonal conflicts in a mature and positive fashion to prevent toxicity from developing within the school community.

We also remind the kids of their strengths and encourage them to explore their potential as part of their holistic education.

Building self-esteem helps prepare our young learners for academic success in their classes as well as emotional and social success in their personal lives. We also holistically help develop their self-awareness in social situations by building their self-esteem in an inclusive and welcoming environment.

When All Is Said and Done

At St. Andrews, our mission is to help children realise their inherent holistic potential by providing them with the resources they need to succeed in their present and future endeavours. As a precaution, we also address their mental health issues that could impede their development.

Meanwhile, St. Andrews Dusit British International School in Bangkok is part of the international Cognita School Group, which is responsible for managing multiple schools across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and other continents.

Do you want to see more of what our international school has to offer, and in person? Then make an appointment for a school tour at St. Andrews Dusit.

We also offer an online version of such through our personalised virtual campus tour in case you can’t make the trip physically.